Why America Is More Vulnerable To A Terrorist Attack Than It Was

On September 11th, 2001

By Neil Schubert

Blondie – Autoamerican 1980 (1988 Re-issue CD)

The Coup – Party Music (Original Cover from July 2001)

September 11^th 2001

The Danger Of the Database

Why is the United States at more risk? Simply put, we are more vulnerable to attacks resulting from identity theft. Identity information on almost every American and even non-american citizens in the United States is being transmitted and made accessable to virtually anyone in the world. The problem is the Federal goverment's failure to protect critical identity information from being used and disseminated to anyone. We already have laws to enforce protections, but laws are not being enforced. Complaints to the FBI and State organizations go ignored. What is the means for a terrorist organization to enter and control the United States and other countries, both in the method of war, and financially? How about a non-terrorist country, like China? Wanna take out the technology sector in the U.S.?

If you're a Terrorist, which one of these suits you?

Aircraft Pilot

Private Detective, Private Investigator

Police Officer

Airport Security Officer

Doctors

Bill Collectors

Charity Organizations

Employers or Prospective Employers

Insurance Investigators

Insurance Companies or Employees of an Insurance Company

Military Personel

I guess the best way I can describe this is using this phrase: “Somebody Stole My Identity Using Lifelock”. Simply described, it's like asking a thief to verify and protect your identity. The problem is that all of the information that the government used to have protected is now being shared with anywho. At one time our social security numbers were only to be used by government. Then, during the late 1980's and 1990's, our representatives just sorta let things go. Rather than the levels of security we had, we instead allowed private businesses, who have only financial interests in themselves, to essentially handle information that protects our nation's security. And that directly contributed to the terrorist attacks on September 11^th, 2001, allowing terrorists to use somebody else's identities to wage an attack. And then we created the Patriot Act, which does nothing but give the terrorists better credibility when they do try to wage an attack.

Lexis Nexis - One Company Traced to Over 200 other databases

Beginning in 2000, I began to use a system to backtrace who was using my information. The idea was to use a watermarking method to see where information ended up. While I will call my system “top secret” what I found was that data was that was supposed to be collected for marketing purposes was being collected for other things by other companies.

I would like to propose a challenge to the Central Intellegence Agency. While the CIA usually handles cases outside of the United States, this one is both in the United States and abroad. My challenge to the CIA is to see how easy it would be to steal somebody's identity and become any of the above, using the existing provisions of the Patriot Act. In other words, if a terrorist or even organized crime were to use data obtained on US citizens from a company like Lexis Nexis, how easy would it be for them to establish themselves in the United States, and become any of the above.

We did not have this problem until the United States decided that it was ok to allow private companies to aggregate information on Americans. It is simply too easy for a terrorist or any other person, even illegal aliens, to obtain mass lists of identity information on Americans from outside of the country, and then use it to establish an identity in the United States. Lexis Nexis as it is in its existing form should not exist. It is not the only company that engages in this activity, but it seems to be the central point where all the information leads to.

Murder By Numbers - One Two Three - It's Easy To Do With a Elsvier Report

Wanna Bankrupt Somebody You Don't Like?

It's Called A Proximity Crime

If you were a criminal, or a street gang, could this information be helpful to you? Take a look at this sample report from 2005: Lexis Nexis.pdf

Some Scenarios:

Lets say you are that certain person from Nigeria, who wants to get you tied up in phishing scam, or a check kiting scheme. What do you do? How do the Nigerian scammers decide who to target? Here's an idea. Let's use Lexis Nexis, using a stolen login...or even a DVD... from a charity organization - to create a list of people who fit in a certain income range and or credit range. Lets say elderly people with alot of savings and assets. This works well for funding Al Queda.

Better yet, lets say that "we" think that a bunch of people who's data does not conform to the database are frauds. Lets say we are a contracted insurance investigator who's goal is to create truth to risk profiles - in order to increase the insurers bottom line. The goal is to get potential major claims canceled, by getting the customers to lapse on their premiums, or decrease their credit score which is used as an excuse to increase premiums. Since these risk profiles are most often baseless, and if discovered, create a risk to the insurer, what

Better yet, lets say you are a contractor to a health insurance company, and that company tells you that they have a patient that is about to be diagnosed with cancer.

Coming up:

The database being used for crimes – attempts to make risk profiles true:

Murders

Mobile Home Fires

Accidents

The Death of Michael Jackson

Identity Theft Using Family Members or Look Alikes

How often do you see your distant relatives? Have you ever had a distant relative or friend just show up at your house out of the blue?